Massachusetts rain causes State of Emergency

After meeting with public safety and transportation officials at the headquarters of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, Governor Deval Patrick declared a State of Emergency due to the high amounts of rain the state has received.

The National Guard has been mobilized because of the heavy rains that took place on March 29th and will continue throughout March 30. The heavy rain is expected to cause beach erosion, major flooding and widespread road closures.

“These are very dangerous conditions, and they will be during the rainstorm and after the rain stops,’’ Patrick said at the MEMA’s headquarters.

All of the state emergency agencies are expected to coordinate with other state agencies as well as local emergency management officials. The National Guard is expected to have 700 troops deployed by Wednesday morning and have the ability to deploy up to 1,000 if they are needed.

Massachusetts has been declared a federal disaster area and will receive aid from the federal government. Individual Assistance Programs will become available to affected homeowners, renters and businesses in the flood areas.